1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to implements or attachments for use with "walk behind" yard maintenance devices, such as lawn mowers or snowthrowers, either powered or completely manual. More specifically, the present invention sets forth the combination of a hopper and chute which may be used to distribute a granular lawn care protect, such as fertilizer, in a controlled manner during the normal use of the lawn mower while engaged in mowing a lawn.
2. Related Technology
One such device of which the applicant is aware is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,067, issued to Emory. The '067 patent discloses a hopper supported at each end by drive wheels which are vertically aligned with and which engage the rear wheels of a conventional lawn mower. As the mower 1s pushed or mechanically driven across the ground, the rear wheels rotate, and being in frictional contact with the hopper drive wheels, cause the drive wheels to rotate. The hopper drive wheels are linked to an agitator residing near the bottom of the hopper which urges fertilizer contained within the hopper to fall through a slot located along the bottom of the hopper.
The '067 patent further discloses a series of funnels that are permanently affixed to the bottom of the hopper slot such that all of the material falling through the slot is captured by one of the funnels. The outlet of each funnel is attached to a flexible tube with an outlet end which can be adjustably positioned along a perforated horizontal splash plate.
The shortcomings of the '067 device are several. First, in an effort to build a spreader which can be adapted "to all lawn mower widths", considerable mechanical complexity is introduced All attachment hardware must be individually adjusted for each lawn mower deck/handle/width/height configuration, and the discharge tubes must be individually routed to avoid both interference with the lawn mower handle and to provide the desired width of fertilizer distribution.
Second, the '067 device discharges fertilizer in response to any movement of the lawn mower rear wheels, regardless of whether the lawn mower 1s moving forward or in reverse. In mowing a typical lawn, there is considerable reverse movement of the lawn mower when mowing in the vicinity of bushes, trees and other commonly encountered obstacles. The '067 device therefore distributes a disproportionately large amount of fertilizer in the region of lawn obstacles and during turning maneuvers.
Third, the '067 device requires frequent labor intensive maintenance. Insofar as the lawn mower represents a machine which encounters frequent shock and near constant vibration in an atmosphere filled within fine particles, the '067 device, with its numerous chains, brackets and clamps, must be retightened and readjusted frequently. The outlet tube/funnel assemblies are subject to clogging and cracking, and may need individual cleaning, replacement and readjustment. The funnel/outlet tube arrangement results in variable residence times and discharge rates for the fertilizer depending on which particular funnel is encountered upon leaving the hopper.
Fourth, installation requires the use of two special wheel mount tools which must be affixed to the rear mower wheels prior to installation of the '067 device onto a lawn mower deck, and which must be removed after installation of the device is complete.
Fifth, the spreader plate of the '067 device is yet another mechanical component requiring separate mounting and adjustment for each individual lawn mower. Its nominally flat, horizontal configuration results in a disproportionate quantity of fertilizer being distributed over each side edge of the plate even when the plate is perfectly flat. When the mower 1s tilted for any reason, which is frequent in actual lawn mower operation, an even greater quantity of fertilizer is "dumped" over the lower of the two side edges, resulting in a concentration of fertilizer at the edges of the mower path, an effect which is exaggerated by succeeding passes of the lawn mower.
Problems such as the aforementioned explain in large part why the fertilizer spreader has yet to become a commonly used attachment on the typical lawn mower.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 1,876,409, issued to Gordon, which discloses a fertilizer and seed spreader attachment for a rotary push type mower. The spreader mounts directly on the reel mower and includes a hopper for holding granular materials. The hopper includes an adjustable opening at its bottom through which the granular materials drop. A generally cylindrical distributing mechanism disperses the falling granular material ahead of the reel mower. The cylindrical distributor is driven by intermediate wheels that contact the large reel mower wheels. The intermediate wheels drive the driven wheels that are mounted on the same shaft as the cylindrical distributor. The driven wheels include clutches that permit transmission of power to the cylindrical distributor when the reel mower 1s pushed in a forward direction but stop transmission of power to the distributor when the reel mower 1s pulled in a rearward direction. The intermediate wheels can be pivoted away from the reel mower wheels and the driven wheels can be pivoted so that they are in direct contact with the reel mower wheels. When the wheels are positioned in that configuration, the spreader attachment will operate when the reel mower 1s pulled backward but, of course, the reel cutting blades will not rotate. Gordon does not disclose a spreader plate with channels nor does Gordon disclose a simplified means for mounting the attachment onto the mower.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 3,278, issued to Stevens et al. discloses a seed planter with a spreader plate that includes channels wherein the spreader plate and channels are relatively narrow at the top and are significantly wider at the bottom. Alternative spreader plate designs are shown in FIGS. 4-7 of Stevens et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,988,115, issued to Elphingstone, discloses a spreader attachment for a truck wherein the spreader plate includes a series of adjacent channels for distributing a generally granular material.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,322,006, issued to Schadt et al., discloses a scatterer-unloader that includes a spreader plate with side by side channels for distributing a generally granular material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,963, issued to McBride, discloses a fertilizer spreader attachment for lawn mowers that includes a disposable hopper filled with granular material that mounts on the mower. The hopper includes an adjustable opening at the bottom of the hopper through which the granular material is dropped. Material is dispensed when the mower 1s pushed over the ground which causes the hopper to vibrate which, in turn, causes the granular material to be dispensed from the hopper.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,618,443, issued to Knight, discloses a spreader plate on a wheelbarrow that diverges as it extends down and away from the wheelbarrow. The spreader plate also includes guide ridges to help distribute the material evenly over the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,212, issued to Coffman, discloses a lawn mower fertilizer spreader attachment that includes a hopper mounted directly on the lawn mower. The attachment includes a wheel that is driven by one of the lawn mower wheels. The driven wheel is connected to and drives an agitator within the hopper that helps to deliver granular fertilizer to a discharge spout that drops the fertilizer into the cutting deck of the mower. An adjustable plate located adjacent to the outlet of the hopper controls the volume of flow through the discharge spout. Coffman does not disclose a clutch wherein the delivery of the granular fertilizer is stopped when the mower 1s pulled in a rearward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,308, issued to Vicendese et al. discloses a lawn mower fertilizer spreader attachment that includes a hopper mounted directly on the lawn mower. The hopper is mounted directly over the rear axle of the lawn mower and includes an agitator at the bottom of the hopper that has a drive shaft concentrically affixed to the rear wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,371, issued to Redmon, discloses a lawn mower fertilizer spreader attachment that includes a hopper mounted directly on the mower. The attachment includes a wheel that is driven by one of the lawn mower wheels. The driven wheel is connected to and drives an agitator within the hopper that helps to deliver granular fertilizer through the discharge opening into the mower deck. In alternate embodiments, Redmon discloses lawnmowers with similar fertilizing attachments that disperse the granular fertilizer into the cutting chamber of the lawn mower. Redmon does not disclose a clutch wherein the delivery of granular fertilizer is stopped when the mower 1s pulled backwards.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,375, issued to Troka et al., discloses a lawn mower fertilizer spreader attachment that includes a hopper mounted directly on the lawn mower. The hopper is mounted generally rearward of the rear mower wheels and includes an agitator at the bottom of the hopper that is driven by a pair of wheels that contact and are rotated by the rear mower wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,644, issued to Harper, discloses a belt driven fertilizer spreader attachment for lawnmowers. One embodiment shows a fertilizer spreader attachment that is mounted on the front portion of the deck while another embodiment shows a similar attachment mounted on the handlebar assembly of the mower. Both embodiments have means for discharging the fertilizer through an opening in the deck. The drive belt system drives an agitator within the fertilizer spreader hopper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,970, issued to Gaiman, discloses a fertilizer spreader attachment for a lawn mower that includes a hopper and a wheel driven agitator within the hopper to aid in the distribution of the fertilizer through an adjustable opening in the bottom of the hopper. The hopper can be pivoted away from the ground engaging wheel of the mower so that the agitator within the hopper is not driven.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,914, issued to Johnson, Jr., discloses a fertilizer spreader attachment that includes a rotating perforated drum that is rotated by a front ground engaging wheel of the lawn mower.